


An Understanding

by castledfranks



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-02
Updated: 2017-03-02
Packaged: 2018-09-27 22:48:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10055357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/castledfranks/pseuds/castledfranks
Summary: After Scott tells Allison the truth about her mother, she goes to confront Derek.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Just moving all my works from Tumblr. Comment if you like :)

Allison stood in front of the ramshackled house Derek once called home and took a deep breath. For a moment, she studied the mess - the mess caused by her family’s hand. Her eyes shut and her chest tightened at the thought of people burning alive inside. What Derek must’ve seen…

She shook her head and climbed the stairs, stopping momentarily to observe the symbol painted on the front door. The alpha pack sigil was a warning sign: they were coming for him, for everybody.

She pushed gently on the door and stood at the base of the stairs, listening for a clue as to his whereabouts. Movement to her right caused her to jump to a protective stance, and she came face to face with Derek.

He’d poked his head around the molding and was staring at her with an expression mixed with anger and awe. He gripped what was left of the doorway in his strong hands and centered himself between the frame. He folded his arms over his chest after a half a second and stared at her with his signature blank look. “What are you doing?”

Allison tried to catch her breath, realizing now she was more nervous than she anticipated being. Her lips parted as she readied herself to tell him, but shut again when she couldn’t find the strength.

He all but rolled his eyes before retreating into what used to be the living room. The rotting couch was an eyesore, but Derek didn’t seem to mind. Regardless of his modest new apartment, this place was home, and he’d gotten used to the carnage. He stood in the corner, picking at dust on the rotting wood desk.

“Derek,” Allison said, stepping into the room. She watched as his muscles tensed beneath his tee and he glanced over his shoulder to keep an eye on her. She imagined that was his issue of trust that came with the Argent family name. She ran her hand nervously through her brown locks and tucked a strand behind her ear. “I came to talk.” She was careful the tone she used; she wasn’t here to argue and she wanted him to know that.

Derek sighed and turned to face her, his arms once more folded across his chest. A soft, sarcastic smile formed upon his lips as he regarded her. “I take it Scott finally came clean.”

Allison shut her eyes, a gesture that emitted more pain than she was willing to share with him. It took her several moments before she could bring herself to speak again. The subject was still sore. “He told me a little. I wanted to hear the rest from you.”

He cocked an eyebrow, clearly surprised. “You’re going to take my word for it…”

“I’m here, aren’t I?”

He remained silent a few moments longer, his eyes studying hers. What game was she playing here? Why didn’t Scott insist on joining her for this revelation, if for nothing else but support? He shook his head and leaned against the wood desk, placing his hands down on either side to support him. He didn’t trust this; there had to be a trap. “Okay,” he said finally. “What did he tell you?”

“That it didn’t go down the way my mother detailed in her suicide note.”

Derek chuckled and bit his bottom lip. Scott, ever the coward, couldn’t even give her any of the gory details. He suspected Scott was afraid of the backlash, didn’t want to feel Allison’s wrath and it was better if Derek took the hit. “Well, I don’t know what her note said…”

“Nothing about Scott,” she cut in, getting a little impatient. She crossed her arms and in doing so, her t-shirt lifted just enough to expose a sliver of flesh above her jeans.

Derek’s eyes immediately gravitated to it and he found himself cursing his behavior and jerking them away. He bit down on his tongue before pushing off of the desk and taking a few steps towards her. He half-expected her to blanche, but she stood her ground, eyeing him curiously. Maybe this was genuine. Maybe there was no trap.

He rubbed his arm, dragging his nails down his biceps. “We had a plan to trap Jackson. But Scott never showed up for his part. I heard his howls and when I got to him, your mother had gassed him with wolfsbane. She came at me with a knife, she was going to kill us both.” He paused and looked her in the eye; tears had formed in the corners but she was stoic. “I was weak from the wolfsbane, barely conscious. She uh.. got the upper hand and then I…”

Chills ran down Allison’s spine as she shifted in place. “You bit her,” she finished for him quietly.

For the first time she noticed his expression change. He almost looked… sorrowful, like the pain in her voice actually affected him. She realized then she’d spent so much time demonizing him, blaming him for killing her mother and she never stopped to think the toll it must’ve taken on him.

“I bit her,” he repeated, and with one deep breath, that look was gone. “And I would do it again if it meant protecting Scott or any other member of my pack.” His voice was firm and took her by surprise.

“I understand now,” she said, her voice still soft. Silence crept between them and the air thickened. After several moments, she looked up at him and wiped the falling tears from her cheek. “She’s my mom,” she whispered through an escaping sob.

Derek’s brow furrowed. “She was trying to kill Scott,” he pressed.

“I know,” she acknowledged “But she was still my mom.”

Derek took an erratic breath and ran his hand over his hair. He began to pace, resting one hand on the back of his head while the other massaged the stubble that had formed on his chin. He stopped, looking defeated and - to her surprise - sympathetic. “Look, Allison,” he started, studying her expression carefully. “I’m sorry about your mother. I understand the pain of loss and wouldn’t wish that on anyone - even you.” He paused, regarding her. Her tears had stopped and surprise lit up her face. “But I wouldn’t do anything differently, and I didn’t kill her. Your mother made a choice; she made a series of choices that in no way are my fault.”

“How do you figure?” she replied with more spite than she intended.

He narrowed his eyes. “She tried to kill Scott because…” He stopped for a moment and softened. She didn’t need anymore guilt. He wasn’t going to add to her pain. You didn’t kick a puppy while it was down. “She chose to go after Scott for her own reasons. When she got the bite, she chose to kill herself instead of learn to control the impulses that came with it. And when she wrote that suicide note, she chose not to tell you the truth because if she did, you wouldn’t have picked up the Argent way. Your family wanted you to become a hunter, but they needed to give you a reason to turn your back on Scott. They knew Scott was going to side with me this time because he knew the truth.”

Allison shook her head and brought her hand over her mouth. Everything made sense. Everything Gerard said to her after her mother’s death: it was all a manipulation. She was hard-pressed to believe her father even knew the truth.

“I struggled with it,” he continued quietly, wanting to ease her mind a bit. “After it was over, when I saw what it did to your father, to you, I replayed the moment over and over, but I still saw no other choice.”

Allison nodded, drying her eyes with her sleeve. “I appreciate you telling me the truth Derek. Thank you.” Her voice was still a whisper, and she was trying hard to get back her strength. She glanced at him and he was eyeing her with shock. Was it that hard for him to believe her? ‘Of course it was,’ her subconscious screamed. 'Kate.’ “I mean it Derek,” she started, “thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he said quietly, his eyes never leaving her. He watched as she stepped further into the room, her gentle fingers running across the beat up furniture.

“I want you to tell me about Kate,” she finally said.

The question took him by surprise and he choked as he inhaled. “Allison.”

“I know she’s responsible for the death of your family, but I want to know what she did to you specifically.”

He winced and she immediately regretted asking. Clearly the topic was still a sore subject after all these years. “Derek, I know it’s a lot to ask, but I want to understand you. If we’re going to help each other, I need to understand you, understand why our families were at war. Please,” she begged.

“Kate… used me to get to my family,” he said, his voice low and laced with hurt and anger. “She pretended she was in love with me, got me to open up about what I truly was. I was an awkward teenage boy and she made me feel wanted. I had no friends, afraid that anyone I got close to would find out what I was and run terrified in the opposite direction. When I finally opened up to her, she embraced me with open arms. And soon after that…” He couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud. He ran his hand over his face. “Do you get it?” he snapped.

She nodded and came to stand next to him. She reached out slowly and rested a hand on his arm. “Derek, I’m sorry. For my mother, for Kate.” He flinched at her words and her touch. “But I’m not them. I realize I’ve made mistakes, and I can’t take them back. But I’m here now and on your side. I am not Kate.”

Derek smiled. “You remind me of her." Allison raised an eyebrow and he quickly clarified. "The good parts. You’re strong, you’ve got the same fire she had. When she put her full head and heart into something, she was unstoppable. I always admired that.”

His words were tragic and she recognized what it meant for him to be sharing this with her. She smiled at his compliment and glanced up at him once more. To her surprise, he smiled back. After a moment of silence passed between them, Derek took her hand and led her to one of few chairs that had survived the fire. He sat opposite her, his elbows on his knees, and they continued to talk, to clear the air between them.

When she left, she had a renewed outlook on Derek Hale, something she needed, something she wanted. They had more in common than either of them wanted to admit, and now that they understood that, they were making their way to reconciliation. Both of them needed redemption, and they would get it… together.


End file.
